In the English Department at Queens College, we are dedicated to helping students discover and pursue a variety of careers. People often ask, “What can you do with a degree in English?” The answer is that many industries are interested in recruiting students who think critically, write well, communicate effectively, have experience in digital media, and are attuned to the global or intercultural perspectives employers need in the twenty-first-century workplace.
- Learn more about the many reasons to consider becoming an English major.
- Read personal testimonials from alumni of the Queens College English Department to learn more about their diverse career paths.
The infographic below will give you a sense of possible careers in publishing, communications, the arts, law, non-profit organizations, technology, education, politics, translation, public relations, advertising, library science, technical writing.
Infographic: Possible Career Paths
The current job market is evolving quickly. The good news is that employers are looking for young people to invigorate their organizations. Increasingly, employers are offering flexible schedules and a combination of in-person and remote work. Along with grade point average, the single best indicator for success on the job market is the number of internships a student ha completed. That includes both finding a job in your chosen field and salary. Because of this, the English Department and Queens College make it a priority to help students find internship opportunities.
Landing an internship or a job in a field that excites you will require initiative on your part. But we’re here to help, along with Queens College’s Center for Career Engagement and Internships. Contact Professor Lee Norton ([email protected]) for more information.
Scroll down for resources and opportunities for internships and employment.
Opportunities
Spring 2025 Internship Opportunities for English Majors and Writing Minors ONLY
The English Department is excited to announce a series of internship opportunities available ONLY to Queens College English majors and writing minors.
- Bordighera Press Publishing Internship
- Small Axe Project Publishing Internship
- Lost & Found Publishing Internship
- Women’s Studies Quarterly (WSQ) Internship (not accepting applications)
The deadline to apply for these internships for Spring 2025 is December 13, 2024. (Note that the WSQ position has already been filled). Please click on the links for more information
Other Internship Opportunities and Resources
The Queens College Center for Career Engagement and Internships keeps an updated list of job and internship opportunities—on their Hire QC page—in addition to hosting regular workshops and career fairs. They also provide help preparing resumés, cover letters, and other materials. They can help students apply for scholarships for unpaid internships. They are currently offering remote advisement for students. They also offer competitive stipends for students doing unpaid internships. Check out their resources here. You can see their animated orientation video here. Take a look at their Staff Directory if you’re thinking about making an appointment. They offer some specialized materials for English majors, including Career Planning and advice about what you can do with a degree in English.
The CUNY Career Success Initiative offers a number of paid internships, including The CUNY Service Corps, Service Corps Puerto Rico, CUNY Cultural Corps, and CUNY Census Corps. They also host online seminars on resumé building, practicing for interviews, writing cover letters, and other topics.
CUNY Cultural Corps offers academic year internships to CUNY students looking to gain professional experience in the arts and culture.
Queens College offers a number of Experiential Learning Internships, including CUNY Service Corps, CUNY Career Launch, and CSSI Google. These can be great platforms for preparing to be a competitive applicant for internships outside the college.
n+1 offers paid internships to college students and recent graduates. The internship is part-time, for two to three months, and gives a wide-ranging introduction to the work of a small magazine. Interns assist with evaluating submissions, research, fact-checking, proofreading, event planning, publicity, website administration, and more. Pay is $15 an hour for fifteen hours a week. They are currently hiring both remote and in-person interns.
- Spring: January 9–April 28
Applications due January 2 - Summer May 8–August 25
Applications due March 17 - Fall: September 5–December 22
Applications due August 15
To apply, please send a single PDF or Word document with the following application materials to [email protected]: a one-page cover letter describing your interest in the internship, a résumé, and a one-page response to any piece in the most recent issue. Please name the file with your last name and first name (e.g., LastFirst.PDF).
The Feminist Press offers three apprenticeship positions in the spring and fall semesters of each year. They are particularly interested in candidates with photography and/or graphic design experience. Apprenticeship responsibilities include but aren’t limited to: general office management and mailing duties; reviewing unsolicited and agented submissions for editors on staff; proofreading forthcoming manuscripts and other office collateral and tracking changes; mailing out review copies; preparing award applications; drafting marketing copy including press releases, galley letters, and reading group guides; assisting with fundraising events and book launches. In spring 2024, there will be three positions available. The deadline to apply is Friday, November 3. You can learn more about the apprenticeship program and how to apply here.
The Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens college offers internships for course credit. Their interns “gain valuable skills and training in museum practice, arts administration, arts education, marketing, and independent scholarship.”
New York City’s Workforce1 provides help with resumé building, developing job search skills, and interview preparation. Their site includes listings of employment opportunities. They are currently offering their various services online.
Bookjobs.com, sponsored by the Association of American Publishers, lists a wide range of internships—both paid and unpaid—within the publishing industry. If you register for the site, you can receive regular updates and upload your resumé for employers to see.
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities offers programs to help Latinx students find internships, job opportunities, and scholarships. They visit Queens College regularly and work with our students. Their site includes a job board and a feature where you can upload your resumé for employers to see.
The Center for Communication “connects university students with leading media professionals to learn about the latest in the ever-evolving media industry.” They host regular events and list internship opportunities on their site. They are currently hosting a series of online discussions with media professionals as well as video classes led by prominent journalists.
Save the Internships is an initiative designed to create internship opportunities for Communications, Marketing, and Advertising majors. English majors with a minor in Business and the Liberal Arts (BALA) or other related programs may qualify. The project was launched by a CCNY professor and the Advertising Agency Pereira O’Dell to serve CUNY students. You can learn more about it in this article in Adweek magazine.
Ladders for Leaders offers thorough training and preparation for New York City students seeking internships. They also offer stipends for students doing unpaid internships. Their application deadline is in April. They work with employers all over the city, in a variety of industries. They offer a page listing all their Queens worksites.
The PENCIL Internship program offers training and preparation for New York City students seeking internships. They partner with Ladders for Leaders to provide stipends for unpaid internships. They visit Queens College regularly to host orientation workshops. PENCIL is working to keep its program going online. For more information, contact them at [email protected] or 646-638-0865.
The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) offers “Career Readiness” resources to help you become the strongest job candidate you can be. NACE is offering a number of online forums for students thinking about the job market—group coaching roundtables and sessions on diversity initiatives, mental health and career development, and career readiness.
NBC Universal has paid summer internships that are a good fit for English students. Interns are placed at various networks/media companies.
The organization We Need Diverse Books offers supplemental grants of $3000 to students from diverse backgrounds—defined broadly—who find internships in Children’s Publishing. On their site, they list the publishers they partner with, along with link to the application processes for those publishers.
The New York State Leaders Student Intern Program “provides a centralized location to access all New York State government internships.” The program is designed to serve college students in New York State.
The Ron Brown Prep Program is a great option for undergrads and graduates interested in Law. Their pipeline programs help a lot of students who might not otherwise go to law school, go to law school.
Electric Literature offers internships that “introduce undergraduate and graduate students, emerging writers, and aspiring publishing professionals to digital publishing and the New York literary scene.” They tend to offer the internships in two or three cycles each year, so it’s a good idea to check their site regularly. Their internships are all currently remote.
Reel Works is a non-profit organization that offers amazing paid internships and paid boot camps to train students to work in media. Their MediaMKRS program is a partnership between educators, employers, unions and The NYC Mayor’s Office to train, credential and prepare talented young New Yorkers for careers in media and entertainment. Reel Works will conduct QC information sessions in the fall, one in-person and one virtual. All English majors will be informed by email when these are taking place.
Made In NY trains students to become production assistants in the entertainment industry. The program sponsored by the New York City Media and Entertainment department.
Women’s Weekend Film Challenge works to bring gender equity to the film industry by training and creating opportunities for women interested in the industry. They hold regular virtual workshops on a variety of topics.
MEOjobs is an independent non-commercial website that aggregates career opportunities in media & communications, produces a free weekly top jobs newsletter, and hosts monthly networking happy hours for working professionals.
FindSpark is an online and offline community dedicated to setting up every young professional for career success and connecting employers to top, diverse early career talent.” They offer online career resources, job listings, and events featuring speakers from high-profile employers.
Journalism Internship Calendar. Journalist Mandy Hofmockel (Hearst CT) created this comprehensive calendar of internships and fellowships, along with application deadlines. It’s a great resource for students interested in journalism or media fields.
From the National Humanities Alliance Foundation’s Study the Humanities initiative comes What Are You Going to Do With That?, “a podcast where we explore everyday folks’ decisions to study the humanities as undergraduates and their pathways to fulfilling careers. The first season features a diverse group of young professionals with humanities backgrounds reflecting on how they’ve applied the knowledge and skills they gained in college. These stories debunk widespread misconceptions about humanities majors’ career prospects by highlighting some of the limitless possibilities for applying humanities knowledge and skills in today’s workforce. Each episode traces a unique pathway from a humanities major to careers in law, public health, finance, technology, museums, public relations, and high-end food production while emphasizing a broader theme that applies across humanities disciplines and industries.”
Queens College has a partnership with New York Public Radio, the umbrella organization for WNYC, New York’s public radio station, which offers exciting competitive internships. Queens College students have been among their roster of interns from all over the country, working in the newsroom, the social media department, archives, and on various high-profile programs, including The Takeaway and The Brian Lehrer Show. If you’re interested, take a look at this announcement and this FAQ for details about the partnership—and how you can get help from QC faculty on your application. You can view profiles of WNYC’s current interns here. Note: WNYC’s Internship program is on pause for 2023-24 and will resume for 2024–25, with a summer 2024 deadline.
Scholarships
Queens College has a number of scholarships available for students like you who are planning their futures, not to mention the number of writing prizes our department offers every year. You can find out more about these scholarship opportunities here:
